MSU Athletics Hall of Fame
Paul Evans spent 34 seasons as the Bears’ pitching coach from 1989 to 2022, mentoring 67 Missouri State hurlers to professional contracts. Likewise, a total of 14 MSU pitchers advanced to the Major Leagues under Evans, 26 earned first-team all-conference honors, 15 claimed All-America recognition, five were MLB first-round draft picks, and three Bears were selected to pitch for Team USA.
Evans also coached five MVC Pitchers of the Year. Over his final decade on staff, Evans’ pupils posted three of the four lowest team ERAs in team history as well as the top three single-season strikeout totals. Evans was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2021 and earned D1Baseball.com’s National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2015. The 2015 staff featured three All-Americans on an NCAA Regional championship team that compiled 49 wins with a 2.91 ERA, 553 strikeouts and 9 shutouts. Evans was a key part of three NCAA Regional championship teams and the 2003 College World Series squad.
